Posts tagged local institutions

Thanks to all who downloaded our iPhone app! We’re now working like crazy on the next big thing. It’s going to be much more participative every step of the way. Here’s what we’re thinking:

• The check-in market is cornered. The world doesn’t need another Foursquare clone.
• Unedited reviews: Sometimes useful, often faked or spammy, almost always demoralizing to wade through. See TripAdvisor or Yelp’s four stars and a rant.
• Guidebooks/newspaper travel sections: Based on an antiquated, elitist model that relies on a handful of people (often just passing through or relaying  hearsay) to cover a huge geographic space. Prone to obsolescence, inaccuracies, shilling, and sameness.

We want to collect the experiences that drive people to check places out and report back on them. To put it succinctly:

      People + Places + Love

A place will only appear on Trazzler if: 

• our editors scouted it out and loved it.
• a person scouted it out and loved it and our editors agreed.
• a person scouted it out and loved it—our editors disagreed, but smart people convinced them they were wrong.
• an expert (like a tourism bureau or local blogger) suggested it and our editors agreed.

Frankly, most places won’t make the cut. Instead of listing every place in the big wide world and waiting for people to check in, we want you to send you on assignment to check places out. Instead of interacting with a chosen few, our editors work with everyone, devising creative contests that feature places we care about—and reward the people who love a place enough to capture its essence in photos or words.

Here are two contests that are happening right now (soon there will be more all over the world that you can enter right from your phone or Trazzler.com):

East Coast Local Institutions: Sandwich Edition: Writing Assignment—$250 Contract + a Free Philly Hoagie Getaway
West Coast Endangered Places Contest: California State Park Edition—Writing Assignment: $500 Contract

Deadline for entry: November 30.